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Don’t say this 4-letter word.
This nasty label is killing your growth. (And your team's.)
Sri 🐸
October 23, 2025
“Lazy” is a Lie
I curse. A lot.
I’m no longer technically a sailor.
But cursing is in the blood.
As the classic line in Ronin goes:
“Old habits die hard.”
But… I want to ban a four-letter word: Lazy
Lazy (adj.): disinclined to activity or exertion; not energetic or vigorous.
Few insults are more damning than “You’re lazy.”
And it’s a death sentence in the workplace.
Compare “Suzie’s not that smart.” to “Suzie’s lazy.”
I can hear a 1920s titan of industry now—in a smokey club—remarking in a Mid-Atlantic accent,
“Larry may be an idiot… but he’s our idiot!”
<cue guffaws and “Here here!”s>
🔎 It’s easy to see when someone’s working less.
Thinking less, not so much.
Lazy Suzie will be shown the door.
Are You a Label or a Maker?
“Once you label me, you negate me.”
Why do I dislike the word “lazy”?
Because it describes a behavior as if it’s a character trait. As if it’s fixed.
Yet, militaries around the world take kids, many of whom might be lazy by mature-adult standards, and turn them into hardworking studs before they’ve even turned 19.
The military isn’t the answer for most people, but it shows that change IS possible.
Further, the term “lazy” is imprecise. There are a zillion reasons why people aren’t constantly “getting things done.”
These reasons include the following:
Anxiety
Boredom
Depression
Overwhelm
Poor health
Lack of sleep
Procrastination
Perfectionism
Impulsiveness
Addiction
Burnout
Shame
Status
None of these are moral failings. They’re just baggage. We can offload baggage.
I know at least ten really smart people who aren’t doing their work. They’re not:
❌ Posting
❌ Planning that move
❌ Starting that business
And they have zero excuses. Each of them is:
✅ Smart
✅ Reliable
✅ Motivated
✅ Accomplished
So… then what the heck is the problem?
Most are avoiding challenge. Several even know this!
Some rationally know the value of a long-term project—but have trouble feeling it in the present moment.
Others are naturally impulsive. They chase a zillion other things and have no time left. (Not even for what they say is their biggest priority.)
👀 You see, there’s one or more specific problem blocking each person from acting.
Labeling them—or yourself—lazy doesn’t solve the root problem.
You know what’s crazy?
I bet you DO actually work your arse off sometimes.
Maybe all the time.
Just not in the area you wish you were.
Now let’s solve this.
“If you don’t understand the root cause, you’ll just swap one problem for another.”
💎 Why Ask Why?
Try the 5 Why’s exercise*.*
Popularized by Toyota, you solve a problem by asking yourself (or your team) “why” 5 times. Each question brings you deeper to the root cause.
By Why #3 you might get to things like:
Because I’m a people-pleaser.
Because I’m scared.
At Why #5, you might land on:
Because my dad always treated me like I wasn’t smart enough.
Because Carmen rejected me in 5th grade and everyone laughed at me.
Of course, 5 is an arbitrary number. You can keep going if it’s useful. You might discover inklings of the shame and ego others carry.
“Every behavior is an attempt to solve a problem, even the ones that hurt us.”
In the end, calling yourself “lazy” is just negative self-talk.
It locks you in stasis.
Don’t throw away the key.
❤️ Andrew
Outro
I’m sitting in London as I write this. I’d already planned to include Silversun Pickups’ epic song “Lazy Eye” as the outro. Ironically, here’s their origin story courtesy of Wikipedia:
Brian Aubert met Nikki Monninger in 1994 on a flight from Los Angeles to London. Both of them were headed to Cambridge for a school exchange program. Aubert noticed Monninger sitting across the aisle from him, stealing alcohol from the drink cart.
The band’s name has nothing to do with the pickups on an electric guitar. 🎸 Apparently they used to “pick up” booze at the corner of Silver and Sun… Streets or Avenues or Boulevards 🤷🏽♂️
I got to see Brian and Nikki do an acoustic performance during lunch one time when I was at Amazon. It’s probably the coolest thing that happened to me in the four years I was there. 😅
For the record, Nikki isn’t as cute in person.
She’s cuter.
Cheers
🧠 Let’s talk: Beating yourself up all the time? Grab a free slot to meet with me, and let’s talk through some solutions. 💥 🙌
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